You can add to the list mercury, DDT and cyanide....that doesn't include the
pesticides and other contaminates that the animals were exposed to prior to
collection.
 
I would recommend getting a copy of the article "Danger in the Discovery Room"
by Julia Fenn in the Summer, 1987 *Museum Quarterly*  for additional food for
thought.
 
Regarding arsenic, we have done a lot of hunting around for info and have
found limited data on tactile exposure thresholds...most seem to suggest that
the hazard for one-time exposures through the skin is not serious...but
that's just what we've been able to infer...(in other words it's not my
recommendation to you).  Inhaled or ingested exposure limits are more
seriosus and more definitively described.
While I doubt most people plan to eat or smoke museum
collections, arsenic that accumulates on hands could be ingested if not
washed off beforehand...(love those salty fries)... and vaccuuming without
the proper filters can increase airborne exposures too.
 
All reports agree that keeping the potential for exposure as low as possible
is just common sense.  And expect that as time goes on that the regulatory
requirements for exposure to hazardous materials will get more conservative.
 
Richard Efthim, Naturalist Center
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, DC 20560
(202)357-1503   fax:(202)786-2778   [log in to unmask]